No voting, but Amedore and Tkaczyk split on gun bill

With the results of a close state Senate election still in limbo, neither Republican George Amedore nor Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk voted Monday night on the first piece of substantive legislation — a gun control bill — to come before the chamber this year.

By a 37-vote margin, Amedore was certified as the winner in the race by Acting Montgomery County Supreme Court Justice Guy Tomlinson. Democrats failed in efforts to legally restrain Amedore from voting, and he filed an oath of office earlier this month.

“We want some resolution; we want the court to rule appropriately,” said Amedore’s spokesman Kris Thompson, adding not voting is “the responsible and appropriate action pending the conclusion of this legal matter.”

Amedore would have voted against the gun control bill, Thompson said, and met with his Republican colleagues, urging them to do the same. Tkaczyk would have voted yes, her spokesman Gary Ginsburg said.

But Geoff Ford, a 52-year-old Ravena man, says the race’s unsettled nature leaves him without representation. (Ravena, a town in Albany County, is located in the boundaries of the five-county 46th State Senate District.)

“Who do I talk to? I was totally unrepresented in the vote. Even if his vote didn’t matter, and I would have lost, at least I would have had a voice that could have possibly swayed others,” said Ford, who added that he owns a gun. “They are, in some respects, going off the handle. I see some legislation should be done, but now every five years someone has to renew their license. What purpose does that have? If somebody’s committed a crime, they lose their license already.”

Thompson said he has been dealing with constituent files on Amedore’s behalf.

“George is not getting paid, but certainly we are working on behalf of the constituents in this district and will continue to do so,” Thompson said. “We are receiving concerns, comments and issues related to us from former representatives who had covered the districts are responding to residents’ needs.”